Man in Star of India fall died from head injuries

The man who fell some 50 feet from aloft on the Star of India died from injuries he suffered in the fall, the Medical Examiner’s Office said Wednesday.

It still has not been determined, however, if 68-year-old Gregory Gushaw of Coronado suffered a heart attack or other medical emergency prior to the Sunday morning accident, investigators said. A witness who saw Gushaw in the rigging just seconds before he fell said it appeared that may have been the case.

An autopsy found that the Gushaw died from blunt force injuries of his head, neck and chest.

He was rescued in minutes from the water by fellow volunteers who performed CPR on him after the 10:15 a.m. accident but he died at a hospital about 40 minutes later.

An investigator with the Medical Examiner’s Office said that the complete report will most likely not be completed for two to three weeks.

Gushaw was a beloved, long-time volunteer and docent for the Maritime Museum. He was undergoing a training exercise on the rigging and was moving from one point to the other when he fell, hit his head on the ship and landed in the water.